2014 Character Cup - Rankings and Brackets

Updated July 30 - Everything updated. Final update will be tomorrow after runner-up poll closes.

Updated July 25 - Added characters out in round 2 to the final ranking list and moved the final ranking list to the top. The initial rankings are now at the bottom.

Updated July 21 - Final rankings for those who did not make it to round 2 are at the bottom. Rankings were based on number of votes in round 1. In case of a tie, percentage of votes was used.

Updated July 19 - Added characters who have left the contest after round 1

Updated July 17 - I've added how many votes each character gets per round and if they were defeated.  I will update this at least every other day so you can see patterns as we go.


Final Rankings: Other rankings will follow as we finish each round. All tiebreakers decided by percentage of the vote received.

1. Dean Winchester - Supernatural
2. Kate Beckett - Castle
3. Vincent Keller - Beauty and the Beast
4. Patrick Jane - The Mentalist
5. Felicity Smoak - Arrow
6. Tyrion Lannister - Game of Thrones
7. Temperance Brennan - Bones
8. Chandler Bing - Friends
9. Buffy Summers - Buffy the Vampire Slayer
10. Olivia Dunham - Fringe
11. Regina Mills - Once Upon a Time
12. Melinda May - Agents of SHIELD
13. Archangel Michael - Dominion
14. Damon Salvatore - The Vampire Diaries
15. Barney Stinson - How I Met Your Mother
16. Elijah Mikaelson - The Originals
17. Sherlock Holmes - Sherlock
18. Stiles - Teen Wolf
19. Sheldon Cooper - TBBT
20. Raymond Reddington - The Blacklist
21. Nikita Mears - Nikita
22. Bellamy Blake - The 100
23. Hannibal Lecter - Hannibal
24. Walter White - Breaking Bad
25. Veronica Mars - Veronica Mars
26. Harold Finch - Person of Interest
27. Ichabod Crane - Sleepy Hollow
28. Donna Paulsen - Suits
29. Daryl Dixon - The Walking Dead
30. Cristina Yang - Grey's Anatomy
31. Emily Thorne - Revenge
32. Norma Bates - Bates Motel
33. Ben Linus - LOST
34. Kelly Severide - Chicago Fire
35. Eric Northman - True Blood
36. Ziva David - NCIS
37. Sarah Manning - Orphan Black
38. Sydney Bristow - Alias
39. Vanessa Ivers - Penny Dreadful
40. The Doctor - Doctor Who
41. Dana Scully - The X-Files
42. Jack Bauer - 24
43. Joan Watson - Elementary
44. Derek Morgan - Criminal Minds
45. Chuck Bartowski - Chuck
46. Maura Isles - Rizzoli & Isles
47. Alicia Florrick - The Good Wife
48. Annie Walker - Covert Affairs
49. Kiera Cameron - Continuum
50. Erin Lindsay - Chicago PD
51. Nathan Wuornos - Haven
52. Olivia Pope - Scandal
53. Carrie Matheson - Homeland
54. Max Black - Two Broke Girls
55. Rust Cohle - True Detective
56. Mary, Queen of Scots - Reign
57. Rachel Berry - Glee
58. Paul Briggs - Graceland
59. Lagertha - Vikings
60. Leslie Knope - Parks and Recreation
61. Leonardo da Vinci - Da Vinci's Demons
62. Lorne Malvo - Fargo
63. Julia Walker - Helix
64. Fiona Gallagher - Shameless




Drum roll please.....and here it is: The 2014 Character Cup ranking list and brackets. I hope your favorites made it in. Below you will find the ranking and the bracket. I apologize for the teeny print on the bracket but if you click on the magnifying glass at the bottom you should be able to adjust it.  You can also view or download it for yourself. It is a fillable form so I encourage you to create either a bracket of who you'd like to win or make your predictions of who's going to and share them. Remember the conversation is a whole lot more important than the results. You can also e-mail me your predictions at dahne@spoilertv.com and I will keep track of how everyone's doing. Just remember to attach your picks and tell me your screen name on SpoilerTV. Either way, enjoy! Contest starts Sunday evening. Fun fact: The top two contenders had almost as many nominations as the bottom 40 altogether.


Original Rankings:

1. The Mentalist - Patrick Jane - 5780/5 = 1156 == 669 / 905 / 892 / 1,611 / 1,703 / out in round 5
2. Beauty and the Beast - Vincent Keller -7479/5 = 1496 == 1,008 / 1,004 / 1,190 / 1,827 / 2,450 / out in round 5
3. Castle - Kate Beckett - 10,106/6 = 1684 == 706 / 718 / 803 / 1,795 / 2,719 / 3,365 / second place
4. Arrow - Felicity Smoak - 4173/4 = 1043 == 620 / 800 / 780 / 1,973 / out in round 4
5. Supernatural - Dean Winchester - 11,885/6 = 1981 == 1,196 / 1,168 / 1,017 / 2,212 / 2,413 / 3,879 / winner
6. Once Upon a Time - Regina Mills - 1631/3 = 544 == 612 / 469 / 550 / out in round 3
7. The Vampire Diaries - Damon Salvatore - 1271/3 = 424 == 407 / 431 / 433 / out in round 3
8. Teen Wolf - Stiles -1171 /2 = 586 == 551 / 620 / out in round 2
9. Dominion - Archangel Michael - 1631/3 = 544 == 568 / 595 / 468 / out in round 3
10. Game of Thrones - Tyrion Lannister - 3437/4 = 859 == 492 / 497 / 642 / 1,806 / out in round 4
11. Revenge - Emily Thorne - 813/2 = 407 == 458 / 355 / out in round 2
12. Hannibal - Hannibal Lecter - 960/2 = 480 == 437 / 523 / out in round 2
13. The Blacklist - Raymond Reddington - 924/2 = 462 == 393 / 531 / out in round 2
14. Person of Interest - Harold Finch - 768/2 = 384 == 353 / 415 / out in round 2
15. Fringe - Olivia Dunham - 1516/3 = 505 == 494 / 417 / 605 / out in round 3
16. Sherlock - Sherlock Holmes - 1155/2 = 578 == 518 / 637 / out in round 2
17. Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Buffy Summers - 1900/3 = 633 == 513 / 684 / 703 / out in round 3
18. Sleepy Hollow - Ichabod Crane - 834/2 = 417 == 454 / 380 / out in round 2
19. How I Met Your Mother - Barney Stinson - 1290/3 = 430 == 404 / 481 / 405 / out in round 3
20. The Good Wife - Alicia Florrick - 274 / out in round 1
21. Orphan Black - Sarah Manning - 395 / out in round 1
22. The X-Files - Dana Scully - 325 / out in round 1
23. Grey's Anatomy - Cristina Yang - 738/2 = 369 == 403 / 335 / out in round 2
24. The 100 - Bellamy Blake - 1140/2 = 570 == 616 / 524 / out in round 2
25. Penny Dreadful - Vanessa Ives - 369 / out in round 1
26. Scandal - Olivia Pope - 218 / out in round 1
27. Veronica Mars - Veronica - 843/2 = 422 == 404 / 439 / out in round 2
28. The Walking Dead - Daryl Dixon - 864/2 = 432 == 480 / 384 / out in round 2
29. Suits - Donna Paulsen - 813/2 = 407 == 420 / 393 / out in round 2
30. Helix - Julia Walker - 147 / out in round 1
31. The Big Bang Theory - Sheldon Cooper - 1065/2 = 533 == 495 / 570 / out in round 2
32. Nikita - Nikita Mears - 905/2 = 453 == 376 / 529 / out in round 2
33. 24 - Jack Bauer - 316 / out in round 1
34. NCIS - Ziva David - 403 / out in round 1
35. Bates Motel - Norma Bates - 465/2 = 233 == 249 / 216 / out in round 2
36. Glee - Rachel Berry - 196 / out in round 1
37. Rizzoli & Isles - Maura Isles - 279 / out in round 1
38. Chuck - Chuck Bartowski - 286 / out in round 1
39. Breaking Bad - Walter White - 739/2 = 370 == 334 / 405 / out in round 2
40. Bones - Temperance Brennan - 3454/4 = 864 == 504 / 755 / 771 / 1,424 / out in round 4
41. LOST - Ben Linus - 470 / out in round 1
42. Fargo - Lorne Malvo - 156 / out in round 1
43. Friends - Chandler Bing - 2867/4 = 717 == 457 / 548 / 597 / 1,265 / out in round 4
44. Agents of SHIELD - Melinda May - 1675/3 = 558 == 408 / 768 / 499 / out in round 3
45. The Originals - Elijah Mikaelson - 1302/3 = 434 == 389 / 539 / 374 / out in round 3
46. Elementary - Joan Watson - 299 / out in round 1
47. True Detective - Rust Cohle - 206 / out in round 1
48. Parks and Recreation - Leslie Knope - 167 / out in round 1
49. Chicago PD - Erin Lindsay - 234 / out in round 1
50. Da Vinci's Demons - Leonardo Da Vinci - 158 / out in round 1
51. Doctor Who - The Doctor - 329 / out in round 1
52. Homeland - Carrie Mathison - 218 / out in round 1
53. Covert Affairs - Annie Walker - 273 / out in round 1
54. Continuum - Kiera Cameron - 235 / out in round 1
55. Haven - Nathan Wuornos - 226 / out in round 1
56. Alias - Sydney Bristow - 387 / out in round 1
57. True Blood - Eric Northman - 423 / out in round 1
58. 2 Broke Girls - Max Black - 208 / out in round 1
59. Criminal Minds - Derek Morgan - 299 / out in round 1
60. Reign - Mary, Queen of Scots - 197 / out in round 1
61. Shameless - Fiona Gallagher - 143 / out in round 1
62. Vikings - Lagertha - 173 / out in round 1
63. Chicago Fire - Kelly Severide - 436 / out in round 1
64. Graceland - Paul Briggs - 176 - out in round 1


Characters Out in Round 1 - Lagertha, Julia Walker, Joan Watson, The Doctor, Nathan Wuornos, Lorne Malvo, Olivia Pope, Max Black, Alicia Florrick, Sarah Manning, Vanessa Ives, Jack Bauer, Ziva David, Rachel Berry, Maura Isles, Ben Linus, Rust Cohle, Leslie Knope, Erin Lindsay, Lenardo da Vinci, Carrie Mathison, Annie Walker, Sydney Bristow, Eric Northman, Mary Queen of Scots, Fiona Gallagher, Kelly Severide, and Paul Briggs.

Characters Out in Round 2 - Nikita Mears, Sherlock Holmes, Bellamy Blake, Stiles, Donna Paulsen, Raymond Reddington, Hannibal Lecter, Daryl Dixon, Sheldon Cooper, Ichabod Crane, Cristina Yang, Walter White, Norma Bates, Harold Finch, Emily Thorne, and Veronica Mars.

Characters Out in Round 3 - Buffy Summers, Archangel Michael, Elijah Mikaelson, Melinda May, Olivia Dunham, Damon Salvatore, Bareny Stinson, and Regina Mills

Characters Out in Round 4 - Temperance Brennan, Felicity Smoak, Tyrion Lannister, and Chandler Bing

Characters Out in Round 5 - Patrick Jane and Vincent Keller

Runner Up - Kate Beckett


Characters In Order of Voting Average: Dean Winchester (1,981 average votes per round), Kate Beckett (1,684), Vincent Keller (1496), Patrick Jane (1156), Felicity Smoak (1043), Temperance Brennan (864), Tyrion Lannister (859), Chandler Bing (717), Buffy Summers (633), Stiles (586), Sherlock Holmes (578), Bellamy Blake (570), Melinda May (558), Regina Mills (544), Archangel Michael (544), Sheldon Cooper (533), Olivia Dunham (505), Hannibal Lecter (480), Ben Linus (470), Raymond Reddington (462), Nikita Mears (453), Kelly Severide (436), Elijah Mikaelson (434), Daryl Dixon (432), Barney Stinson (430), Damon Salvatore (424), Eric Northman (423), Veronica Mars (422), Ichabod Crane (417), Donna Paulsen (407), Emily Thorne (407), Ziva David (403), Sarah Manning (395), Sydney Bristow (387), Harold Finch (384), Walter White (370), Cristina Yang (369), Vanessa Ivers (369), The Doctor (329), Dana Scully (325), Jack Bauer (316), Joan Watson (299), Derek MOrgan (299), Chuck Bartowski (286), Maura Isles (279), Alicia Florrick (274), Annie Walker (273), Kiera Cameron (235), Erin Lindsay (234), Norma Bates (233), Nathan Wuornos (226), Olivia Pope (218), Carrie Matheson (218), Max Black (208), Rust Cohle (206), Mary Queen of Scots (197), Rachel Berry (196), Paul Briggs (176), Lagertha (173), Leslie Knope (167), Leonardo da Vinci (158), Lorne Malvo (156), Julia Walker (147), Fiona Gallagher (143).

Characters In Order of Total Number of Votes: Dean Winchester (11,885), Kate Beckett (10,106), Vincent Keller (7,479), Patrick Jane (5,780), Felicity Smoak (4173), Temperance Brennan (3454), Lyrion Lannister (3437), Chandler Bing (2867), Buffy Summers (1900), Melinda May (1675), Regina Mills (1631), Archangel Michael (1631), Olivia Dunham (1516), Elijah Mikaelson (1302), Barney Stinson (1290), Damon Salvatore (1271), Stiles (1171), Sherlock Holmes (1155), Bellamy Blake (1140), Sheldon Cooper (1065), Hannibal Lecter (960), Raymond Reddington (924), Nikita Mears (905), Daryl Dixon (864), Veronica Mars (843), Ichabod Crane (834), Donna Paulsen (813), Emily Thorne (813), Harold Finch (768), Walter White (739), Cristina Yang (738), Ben Linus (470), Norma Bates (465), Kelly Severide (436), Eric Northman (423), Ziva David (403), Sarah Manning (395), Sydney Bristow (387), Vanessa Ivers (369), The Doctor (329), Dana Scully (325), Jack Bauer (316), Joan Watson (299), Derek Morgan (299), Chuck Bartowski (286), Maura Isles (279), Alicia Florrick (274), Annie Walker (273), Kiera Cameron (235), Erin Lindsay (234), Nathan Wuornos (226), Olivia Pope (218), Carrie Matheson (218), Max Black (208), Rust Cohle (206), Mary Queen of Scots (197), Rachel Berry (196), Paul Briggs (176), Lagertha (173), Leslie Knope (167), Leonardo da Vinci (158), Lorne Malvo (156), Julia Walker (147), Fiona Gallagher (143).

Click here to download your own copy of the fillable bracket and play along from home!

2014 Character Cup - Brackets by Dahne1

About the Author - Dahne

One part teacher librarian - one part avid TV fan, Dahne is a contributing writer for SpoilerTV, where she recaps, reviews, and creates polls for Sleepy Hollow, Arrow, White Collar, Grimm, Teen Wolf, and others. She's addicted to Twitter, live tweets a multitude of shows each week, and co-hosts the Warehouse 13 "Endless Wonder", Sleepy Hollow "Headless," and Teen Wolf "Welcome to Beacon Hills" podcasts for Southgate Media Group. Currently she writes a Last Week in TV column for her blog and SpoilerTV. ~ "I speak TV."

Recent Reviews by Dahne (All Reviews)

Teen Wolf - 4.06 - Orphaned - Best Scene Poll

About the Author - Dahne

One part teacher librarian - one part avid TV fan, Dahne is a contributing writer for SpoilerTV, where she recaps, reviews, and creates polls for Sleepy Hollow, Teen Wolf, Graceland, White Collar, Grimm, The 100, and others. She's addicted to Twitter, live tweets a multitude of shows each week, and co-hosts the Warehouse 13 "Endless Wonder", Sleepy Hollow "Headless," and Teen Wolf "Welcome to Beacon Hills" podcasts for Southgate Media Group. Currently she writes a Last Week in TV column for her blog and SpoilerTV. ~ "I speak TV."

Recent Reviews by Dahne (All Reviews)

2014 Character Cup - Final Stats and Wrap-Up

It's been 63 polls, but we finally have a winner. Congratulations to Dean Winchester of Supernatural, who also got the most votes of any contestant in the contest and was one of two contestants who received over 1,000 votes in each round. Congratulations also go to Janna, for wining out prediction contest with just 14 missed. You rocked! Awesome job! Bragging rights go to you! Other top predictors were Toni, Sharon Seymour, and Dahne, who all missed 16, and Famous 4 It, who missed 17 in total. It's been fun comparing how different the contest turned out and where people thought it would go.

Thanks so much to everyone who participated either through voting, predicting, or commenting. I have had a blast and I hope you did too. I appreciate you playing along and helping hiatus pass more quickly. This contest has been better than I ever dreamed it would be because of you. Thank you! Since I am a trivia fan and because I was asked to, I've gathered some general facts about the contest along with the final rankings below. Also by popular demand, I have been requested to hold a runner-off poll which will last for 24 hours as well, ending around 5 pm CST Thursday. I won't make another annoucement about it but enjoy. I am also putting a poll here about the nominating process next year. This year we were allowed to nominate two males and two females. This ended up with a very balanced contest with 33 females and 31 males included. The question is whether you would like to keep it this way or not have any stipulations on which 4 to nominate. This choice may lead to a majority of male characters in the contest, although we've never done it like this so it could still end up even. As always, happy commenting and voting!










Final Rankings: Other rankings will follow as we finish each round. All tiebreakers decided by percentage of the vote received.

1. Dean Winchester - Supernatural
2. Kate Beckett - Castle
3. Vincent Keller - Beauty and the Beast - may change after run-off poll
4. Patrick Jane - The Mentalist - may change after run-off poll
5. Felicity Smoak - Arrow
6. Tyrion Lannister - Game of Thrones
7. Temperance Brennan - Bones
8. Chandler Bing - Friends
9. Buffy Summers - Buffy the Vampire Slayer
10. Olivia Dunham - Fringe
11. Regina Mills - Once Upon a Time
12. Melinda May - Agents of SHIELD
13. Archangel Michael - Dominion
14. Damon Salvatore - The Vampire Diaries
15. Barney Stinson - How I Met Your Mother
16. Elijah Mikaelson - The Originals
17. Sherlock Holmes - Sherlock
18. Stiles - Teen Wolf
19. Sheldon Cooper - TBBT
20. Raymond Reddington - The Blacklist
21. Nikita Mears - Nikita
22. Bellamy Blake - The 100
23. Hannibal Lecter - Hannibal
24. Walter White - Breaking Bad
25. Veronica Mars - Veronica Mars
26. Harold Finch - Person of Interest
27. Ichabod Crane - Sleepy Hollow
28. Donna Paulsen - Suits
29. Daryl Dixon - The Walking Dead
30. Cristina Yang - Grey's Anatomy
31. Emily Thorne - Revenge
32. Norma Bates - Bates Motel
33. Ben Linus - LOST
34. Kelly Severide - Chicago Fire
35. Eric Northman - True Blood
36. Ziva David - NCIS
37. Sarah Manning - Orphan Black
38. Sydney Bristow - Alias
39. Vanessa Ivers - Penny Dreadful
40. The Doctor - Doctor Who
41. Dana Scully - The X-Files
42. Jack Bauer - 24
43. Joan Watson - Elementary
44. Derek Morgan - Criminal Minds
45. Chuck Bartowski - Chuck
46. Maura Isles - Rizzoli & Isles
47. Alicia Florrick - The Good Wife
48. Annie Walker - Covert Affairs
49. Kiera Cameron - Continuum
50. Erin Lindsay - Chicago PD
51. Nathan Wuornos - Haven
52. Olivia Pope - Scandal
53. Carrie Matheson - Homeland
54. Max Black - Two Broke Girls
55. Rust Cohle - True Detective
56. Mary, Queen of Scots - Reign
57. Rachel Berry - Glee
58. Paul Briggs - Graceland
59. Lagertha - Vikings
60. Leslie Knope - Parks and Recreation
61. Leonardo da Vinci - Da Vinci's Demons
62. Lorne Malvo - Fargo
63. Julia Walker - Helix
64. Fiona Gallagher - Shameless



Polls with Most Amount of Votes: Finale - Dean vs. Beckett (7,244) / 5.2 - Vincent vs. Beckett (5,169) / 4.2 - Felicity vs. Dean (4,185)

Closest Polls: 2.12 - White vs. Damon (7 votes) / 2.06 - Elijah vs. Reddington (8 votes) / 1.14 - Manning vs. May (13 votes)

Total Votes Cast (minus run-off poll today): 88,334 -ranking/nominating = 3,802 / first round = 25,009 / second = 18,352 / third = 10,729 / fourth = 13,913 / fifth = 9,285 / final = 7,244

Total Number of Comments (so far): 3,255

Characters with Least Amount of Votes that Still Moved On: Norma Bates (249) / Walter White (334) / Harold Finch (353)

Characters with Biggest Improvement between Initial Rankings and Final Rankings: Chandler Bing (moved up 35) / Temperance Brennan (33) / Melinda May (32)


Total characters nominated: 458 (218 male and 240 females)
Total shows nominated: 170
Total shows represented: 64


Gender Breakdown:

Total - 33 females and 31 males
After the first round, there were 19 males and 13 females.
After the second round, 9 males and 7 females.
After the third round, 5 males and 3 females.
After the fourth round, 3 males and 1 female.
After the fifth round, 1 male and 1 female.


Network Breakdown:

9 cancelled shows represented (cancelled meaning that they are no longer on the air and they did not show any episodes in the 2013-2014 TV season)
31 from network TV: CBS - 9, CW - 7, ABC - 6, NBC - 5, and FOX - 4
14 from basic cable with 8 networks represented (A&E - 1, History - 1, USA Network - 3, SyFy - 4, MTV - 1, AMC - 2, TNT - 1, and FX - 1)
-----Of those counted with SyFy (Dominion, Haven, Helix, and Continuum), many of them are also aired on Canada's Showcase
7 from premium cable (Showtime - 3, HBO - 3, Starz - 1)
3 from BBC


After the first round, remaining were...

5 cancelled shows
19 network shows (CW - 6, ABC - 5, CBS - 4, NBC - 2, FOX - 2)
6 basic cable (AMC - 2, A&E - 1, USA - 1, SyFy - 1, MTV - 1)
1 premium cable - HBO
1 from BBC

After the second round, remaining were...

3 cancelled shows
11 network show (CW - 5, ABC - 3, CBS - 2, FOX - 1)
1 Basic cable - SyFy
1 premium cable - HBO

After the third round, remaining were...

1 cancelled show
6 network shows (CW - 3, ABC - 1, CBS - 1, FOX - 1)
1 premium cable - HBO

After the fourth round, remaining were 4 network shows (CW - 2, ABC - 1, CBS - 1)

After the fifth round, remaining were 2 network shows (ABC - 1, CW - 1)

2014 Character Cup - Brackets by Dahne1

About the Author - Dahne

One part teacher librarian - one part avid TV fan, Dahne is a contributing writer for SpoilerTV, where she recaps, reviews, and creates polls for Sleepy Hollow, Arrow, White Collar, Grimm, Teen Wolf, and others. She's addicted to Twitter, live tweets a multitude of shows each week, and co-hosts the Warehouse 13 "Endless Wonder", Sleepy Hollow "Headless," and Teen Wolf "Welcome to Beacon Hills" podcasts for Southgate Media Group. Currently she writes a Last Week in TV column for her blog and SpoilerTV. ~ "I speak TV."

Recent Reviews by Dahne (All Reviews)

2014 Character Cup - Finals

Well we are finally here - the last round. Thanks to everyone who has participated by voting and commenting. You have made this competition fun. Congratulations to Dean Winchester and Kate Beckett for getting to the final round. To get to the finals, Dean won over Mary, Queen of Scots, Daryl Dixon, Melinda May, Felicity Smoak, and Patrick Jane. Kate won over Lagertha, Norma Bates, Barney Stinson, Chandler Bing, and Vincent Keller. I'll be back tomorrow with one final post, including some contest statistics for those who requested them. If there are any stats you are particularly interested in, let me know in the comments below. Until then, happy voting!


Previous contest results - Final rankings for all characters out in the fifth round now up. Final rankings have been moved to the top. Inital rankings below

Polls end - Wednesday around 5:00 pm CST

Prediction contest results - Toni is the only one with a perfect bracket this time and also the only one with a shot at getting the final winner correct. The majority of people whose final winner was still in the running had the final between Jane and Vincent. Janna however still leads the pack with 13 misses. Congrats to both!

TV Talk Topic - Before we get to the last topic, I just want to say how much fun it has been reminiscing about old TV shows, talking about how TV has enhanced lives, and debating the finer points of character building with you. I appreciate everyone who has participated in these. They have been my favorite part of the contest.

So without further adieu, our last TV Talk Topic has....nothing to do with TV. Sorry. Since it is the end of the contest, it makes sense to review it as a whole. What, besides poll results which we don't control, did you like and not like? How do you feel about only one contestant being allowed per show? Did you like the timing of the contest or would you prefer it to be earlier or later in the summer? Do you like having 4 polls per day or would you prefer there be more or less? Instead of pictures, would you like to see fanvids of the characters? Did the pictures slow down loading time too much for you? Should we not have pictures polls or did you like thatfeature? Did you participate in TV Talk Topics, and if so, would you like to do them again or drop them? What TV Talk Topics do you wish we had covered that we did not? Was there enough time to nominate? Did you like having 2 males and 2 females in nominating or would you prefer to just nominate 4 no matter the gender? Did you participate in the predictions contest, and if so would you like to see that again next year? Would you like to see the final poll last 48 hours instead of 24? How do you feel about the idea of the winner of the contest being retired so they cannot be in it the following year? Overall how did you feel about the contest?

2014 Character Cup - Brackets by Dahne1

About the Author - Dahne

One part teacher librarian - one part avid TV fan, Dahne is a contributing writer for SpoilerTV, where she recaps, reviews, and creates polls for Sleepy Hollow, Arrow, White Collar, Grimm, Teen Wolf, and others. She's addicted to Twitter, live tweets a multitude of shows each week, and co-hosts the Warehouse 13 "Endless Wonder", Sleepy Hollow "Headless," and Teen Wolf "Welcome to Beacon Hills" podcasts for Southgate Media Group. Currently she writes a Last Week in TV column for her blog and SpoilerTV. ~ "I speak TV."

Recent Reviews by Dahne (All Reviews)

2014 Character Cup - Final Four

Please Read: So far this has been one of my favorite internet contests I have ever run. It's been a joy listening to people's opinions on TV in general and how TV has inspired them. However this is the part of the contest where, in my experience as a contest creator and participant of far too many polls to count, things often get rough. As things head to a close, people tend to forget that this is a completely unimportant little contest that is meant to do nothing more than pass hellatus and get people talking about why they love TV. There is nothing at all worth getting riled up about here. So it feels like a great place to remind people of the rules.

The Rules Re-Posted: The goal of this contest is for us to pass the hiatus time with great TV talk and loads of fun. Alas in every internet contest ever, there are always things that come up and ruin the fun for everyone. In an attempt to shoot for the stars and miraculously avoid these, here are the rules:

1. The Aliens Haven't Landed. There's No Conspiracy Here - I have no hidden agenda. Everything is placed in brackets based on number of nominations and ranking polls. If your favorite show goes against a giant, it's nothing personal. There's also no secret underground of people cheating polls. Nobody gets paid for that so nobody has time for that. Especially since this contest means absolute squat. It's just for fun.

2. Leave Sour Grapes on the Vine - Yeah, it sucks when your favorite gets kicked off by a show you hate. Yep, the winning character will come from the most organized fandom that works the hardest to get the word out. Them's the facts of life and internet, folks. It doesn't mean we can't have fun. So discuss why you love your favorite instead of vetching about life's unfairness and bringing down the room. I promise we'll all have more fun that way.

3. It's Not 2048 and My Name's Not Dorian - I will do my very best to keep the contest running smoothly and let you know the approximate time each poll ends.  However, I occasionally do silly things like put the wrong date on a poll so it doesn't end the exact time I thought. Again see #1. Let me know and I'll fix it. I apologize in advance for any technical difficulties.

4. Comments are the Wellspring of Hiatus Life - Most of us anxiously await a favorite show's return and if you're like me, right about now is when I start feeling the wait the most. Why not distract yourself with a little TV talk?  So explain your voting choices. What is your favorite thing about a character? Your favorite character arc? What are your hopes for him or her? The conversation is endless as long as someone starts it.


****Now that business is done, we now return you to your previously scheduled contest.  :-) 


Congratulations to Patrick Jane (53%), Dean Winchester (53%), Vincent Keller (by 21 votes), and Kate Beckett (59%) for proceeding to this round in the overall tightest races of the contest. Only Beckett had a clear lead throughout as the others remained too close to call much of the way. What an exciting race for all characters! Thanks to everyone who passed the word and voted. Today as you comment please remember that the goals of the contest are to have fun through hellatus, to get people to try your favorite shows, and to start some great TV discussion. In that nature, please tell us why the characters you voted for are so amazing instead of sour grapes about the previous poll. I appreciate you keeping things light and fun. Until next time, happy commenting and voting!


Previous contest results - Final rankings for all characters out in the third round now up. Rankings for round 4 will come shortly. Final rankings have been moved to the top. Inital rankings below

Polls end - Tuesday around 5:00 pm CST

Prediction contest results - Janna, Dahne, Sharon Seymour, and It Depends on What Fails all had 100% correct. Janna remains in the lead with 11 misses. Great job!

TV Talk Topic - To be honest, I have pulled a Kira (Teen Wolf reference sorry) and hemmed and hawed about whether to go ahead and do this topic or change it. In the end I decided I really wanted to know, so please stick with talking about why you love a character and please do not put other characters down. Stay positive! Since today is the Final Four of our contest, today's topic is who would you have in your own Top 4...with a little twist of course. We're going to narrow it down. Who would you put in your top 4 of classic TV, as in characters who started out in black and white because there was no color TV at that time? Who would you pick during the post-color but still in the 20th century time period? How about the millennial age? Better yet, who are your top 4 characters of (fill in a genre of TV)? Please remember to keep it positive and NOT a discourse on the current competitors of the actual contest. Thanks! Can't wait to hear your picks.

2014 Character Cup - Brackets by Dahne1

About the Author - Dahne

One part teacher librarian - one part avid TV fan, Dahne is a contributing writer for SpoilerTV, where she recaps, reviews, and creates polls for Sleepy Hollow, Arrow, White Collar, Grimm, Teen Wolf, and others. She's addicted to Twitter, live tweets a multitude of shows each week, and co-hosts the Warehouse 13 "Endless Wonder", Sleepy Hollow "Headless," and Teen Wolf "Welcome to Beacon Hills" podcasts for Southgate Media Group. Currently she writes a Last Week in TV column for her blog and SpoilerTV. ~ "I speak TV."

Recent Reviews by Dahne (All Reviews)

2014 Character Cup - Round 4

As we proceed to round 4, only 8 characters are left out of the original 64. Congratulations to Vincent Keller, Tyrion Lannister, Kate Beckett, and Chandler Bing for making it to round 4 today. Fun Fact - Brennan and Chandler have the biggest spread between their original ranking and how they are doing now. Today is our Elite 8 contestants, and I expect the voting to be more intense from this point out as we speed to a winner. Hopefully someone you like is still in. Thanks for participating and commenting. Until tomorrow, happy voting!


Previous contest results - Final rankings for all characters out in the second round now up. Final rankings have been moved to the top. Inital rankings below

Polls end - Monday around 5:00 pm CST

Prediction contest results - Chandler broke everyone's bracket. Who knew he would go this far? After last round, Janna pulls into the lead again with 11 misses while Famous 4 It has 12.

TV Talk Topic - Inspired by a conversation last week with Blue Star, today we're talking about how TV has changed you, besides just taking up a lot of hours and maybe money. Have you ever found your viewpoint on a subject swayed? Have you developed a new perspective? Has it made you more aware of something? Has it ever inspired you to try a new hobby or get deeper into an old one? Have you learned a new technology for a show? Has TV added to your vocabulary, your music selection, or your wardrobe? Have you ever bought something because it was advertised on your favorite show as a sign of support? Has TV helped you make new friends or develop stronger relationships?

2014 Character Cup - Brackets by Dahne1

About the Author - Dahne

One part teacher librarian - one part avid TV fan, Dahne is a contributing writer for SpoilerTV, where she recaps, reviews, and creates polls for Sleepy Hollow, Arrow, White Collar, Grimm, Teen Wolf, and others. She's addicted to Twitter, live tweets a multitude of shows each week, and co-hosts the Warehouse 13 "Endless Wonder", Sleepy Hollow "Headless," and Teen Wolf "Welcome to Beacon Hills" podcasts for Southgate Media Group. Currently she writes a Last Week in TV column for her blog and SpoilerTV. ~ "I speak TV."

Recent Reviews by Dahne (All Reviews)

Quote of the Week - Week of July 20

A weekly feature highlighting the best quotes on TV as picked by the Spoiler TV team this past week. We'd love to hear your picks too so please sound off below the article.

The Bridge -

1. Bob (the country pastor): "There's no need for Spanish. We all speak in the universal language of pain." (Tonya Papanikolas)

2. Charlotte: "Where are we gonna go?" Ray: "I'm thinking Alaska." Charlotte: "Alaska?" Ray: "It's cold - and Mexicans don't like the cold." (Tonya Papanikolas)

Extant -

John Woods talking to a parent where his android son has joined a school. "Congratulations your daughter just become friends with a Toaster." (Sharon Seymour)

The Fosters -

Dana to Lena : "Love will always be a stronger bond than blood." (Michael Pantoustier)

The Last Ship -

1. Tex: "I'm a bit of a Rolling Stone as you might imagine." Rachel: "A man your age, never married?" Tex: "A man my age?" (Laughs) Rachel: "Hit a soft spot, did I?" Tex: "Oh, I'm two percent body fat, honey. Ain't no soft spot to hit." (Tonya Papanikolas)

2. Slattery to El Toro: "So how is it that you made all your money? I'm guessing it wasn't ladies' handbags." (Tonya Papanikolas)

The Leftovers -

Kevin to Laurie: "Are they making you do this? You just... You don't... talk to me for 6 months, and then you just walk in here, into our house, and then you give me this? No! No! I'm your husband. We made fucking vows! You want this, this over? Then you fuckin' say it! You fuckin' say it! Not her! Say it! 'I want this over'. Fuckin' say it! You fuckin' say it, Laurie!" (Michael Pantoustier)

The Lottery -

President: "The most fundamental human need is hope. We are wired for it. We cannot survive with it and today we have found it. Today we are truly one family. Thank you and may God bless the United States of America." (Dahne)

James: "That's why you got fired, Ellen. You don't play well with others." (Dahne)

Masters of Sex -

Rose to Bill : "It's like there's a dark thing inside of me starving and every time I think about a boy or a man I can't stop till I have it. It's like no matter what my brain says, this other part. It's like, it's like, it's against me. It just wants and when it wants everything else just ... goes away." (Michael Pantoustier)

Young & Hungry -

Josh: "Protective because I care and as long as you work for me and as long as we're friends, I'm going to watch out for you. I can't help that." Gabi: "I can deal with that." (Dahne)

Elliot: "Gabi, insults are a two-way street. If you don't react, there's no fun in it for me. Yolanda, you're humming." Yolanda: "Elliot, you're annoying." Elliot: "See that's how it works." (Dahne)

About the Author - Dahne

One part teacher librarian - one part avid TV fan, Dahne is a contributing writer for SpoilerTV, where she recaps, reviews, and creates polls for Sleepy Hollow, Arrow, White Collar, Grimm, Teen Wolf, and others. She's addicted to Twitter, live tweets a multitude of shows each week, and co-hosts the Warehouse 13 "Endless Wonder", Sleepy Hollow "Headless," and Teen Wolf "Welcome to Beacon Hills" podcasts for Southgate Media Group. Currently she writes a Last Week in TV column for her blog and SpoilerTV. ~ "I speak TV."

Recent Reviews by Dahne (All Reviews)

2014 Character Cup - 3B

Congratulations to Patrick Jane, Temperance Brennan, Felicity Smoak, and Dean Winchester for making it to round 4. Today ends round 3 and since the winner in this contest will also be in tomorrow's contest, there might be a slight time delay before round 4 is posted. It will depend on if any of the polls are really close or not. Similarly, the rankings for round 3 will be slightly delayed. Thanks to everyone who continues to vote and comment. You are making my hellatus. Until tomorrow, happy voting!


Previous contest results - Final rankings for all characters out in the second round now up. Final rankings have been moved to the top. Inital rankings below.

Polls end - Sunday around 5:00 pm CST

Prediction contest results - Again no one had a perfect bracket yesterday with the majority missing the second poll before it even came up. Currently Famous 4 It is leading the competition with 9 misses with Janna right behind with 10. Congrats!

TV Talk Topic - Today we're talking character arcs. What have been the best character arcs for the shows you watch? What have been some of the worst or which have made your favorites out of character (OOC)? Are there any characters you feel have no arc at all? Are there any character arc themes you feel have been overplayed? Have there been characters you hated at first but then came to love? Have their been characters you loved but grew to hate? What kind of character arc would you like to see for your favorite characters in the future? Are there any planned arcs you are excited about?

2014 Character Cup - Brackets by Dahne1

About the Author - Dahne

One part teacher librarian - one part avid TV fan, Dahne is a contributing writer for SpoilerTV, where she recaps, reviews, and creates polls for Sleepy Hollow, Arrow, White Collar, Grimm, Teen Wolf, and others. She's addicted to Twitter, live tweets a multitude of shows each week, and co-hosts the Warehouse 13 "Endless Wonder", Sleepy Hollow "Headless," and Teen Wolf "Welcome to Beacon Hills" podcasts for Southgate Media Group. Currently she writes a Last Week in TV column for her blog and SpoilerTV. ~ "I speak TV."

Recent Reviews by Dahne (All Reviews)

2014 Character Cup - 3A

Hi guys! I'm posting this one a little early while I can. I have a toddler napping right now, so yesterday's polls haven't officially ended. I apologize if I got the winners wrong here. They are technically who was winning at the time I posted.

Welcome to round 3, where 64 have become 16. We have 4 more days of polls before we crown the Character Cup winner for 2014. Congratulations to Kate Beckett, Barney Stinson, Chandler Bing, and Regina Mills for making it to round 3. Today you can vote on the picture you want to represent all the characters in tomorrow's round, including these guys. As always, thanks for participating and being such delightful commentators. It has made this contest a joy already. Until tomorrow, happy voting!


Previous contest results - To see final rankings for all characters out in the second round, scroll to the bottom.

Polls end - Saturday around 5:00 pm CST

Prediction contest results - Yesterday's polls broke everyone's brackets. Yikes! I will post who is winning the contest overall tonight.

TV Talk Topic - Today the topic is kids/teens in TV. How do you feel about kids/teens being on typically adult shows? How do you feel about teen shows in general? Would you avoid a show where a kid/teen was a main character? Who are the best kids/teens on TV, now or in the past? Who are the worst? What do you think makes a great kid/teen character? What are some typical stereotypes you like to stop seeing kids/teens on TV perpetuate?
















Picture Polls - Choose 1 picture you would liek to represent the character in round 3.

2014 Character Cup - Brackets by Dahne1

About the Author - Dahne

One part teacher librarian - one part avid TV fan, Dahne is a contributing writer for SpoilerTV, where she recaps, reviews, and creates polls for Sleepy Hollow, Arrow, White Collar, Grimm, Teen Wolf, and others. She's addicted to Twitter, live tweets a multitude of shows each week, and co-hosts the Warehouse 13 "Endless Wonder", Sleepy Hollow "Headless," and Teen Wolf "Welcome to Beacon Hills" podcasts for Southgate Media Group. Currently she writes a Last Week in TV column for her blog and SpoilerTV. ~ "I speak TV."

Recent Reviews by Dahne (All Reviews)

2014 Character Cup - 2D

Updated ~9 pm CST - Time is running away with me and I totally forgot to get your opinions on the pictures to use for the rest of the contest, so if you could take a look at the pictures polls below the character polls and vote your choice I would appreciate it. I'll look at them a few hours before the character polls close to create the new ones. Thanks so much for participating as always! And a special thanks to everyone who submitted pictures. I do really appreciate it.

Congratulations to Vincent Keller, Olivia Dunham, Tyrion Lannister, and Damon Salvatore for continuing to round 3. Again we had some very tight races with Damon vs. Walter White separated by a mere 7 votes - a new record for this contest. Here's hoping today's polls provide as much excitement. Remember to keep those pictures coming for characters going into round 3 and thanks so much to everyone who has already sent pictures. You can get them to me by either posting them in the comments, e-mailing them to me at dahne@spoilertv.com, or tweeting them to @dahne1. I appreciate any help you can give. Until tomorrow, keep commenting and happy voting!


Previous contest results - To see final rankings for all characters out in the first round, scroll to the bottom.

Polls end - Friday around 5:30 pm CST

Prediction contest results - Sharon Seymour and It Depends on What Fails got 100% correct today. Congrats!

TV Job - Yep, I am putting you to work. I've selected pictures for this round but chances are you have better ones. Therefore, it's your job to find a picture of anyone moving into round 3 or be stuck with the first thing I found on Google Image. You can pop a picture into the comments below, e-mail me at dahne@spoilertv.com, or tweet me @dahne1.  Guidelines:

1. Must be fully clothed and PG please!
2. Clearly shows the character's face
3. Is just the character and not a group thing
4. No gifs - jpeg or png only please


TV Talk Topic - Today the topic is spin-offs, courtesy of Emma. Thanks! Do you like spin-offs? What are your favorites? Which ones didn't work for you? What does it take to make a good spin-off? What are common spin-off mistakes? Are there any shows in which you would like a spin-off?















Picture Polls - Choose which one you want to represent the character. Any pictures too big may be cropped.

2014 Character Cup - Brackets by Dahne1

About the Author - Dahne

One part teacher librarian - one part avid TV fan, Dahne is a contributing writer for SpoilerTV, where she recaps, reviews, and creates polls for Sleepy Hollow, Arrow, White Collar, Grimm, Teen Wolf, and others. She's addicted to Twitter, live tweets a multitude of shows each week, and co-hosts the Warehouse 13 "Endless Wonder", Sleepy Hollow "Headless," and Teen Wolf "Welcome to Beacon Hills" podcasts for Southgate Media Group. Currently she writes a Last Week in TV column for her blog and SpoilerTV. ~ "I speak TV."

Recent Reviews by Dahne (All Reviews)